From Earth to Remnant
by ChaidexVulcan
Summary: The world of Remnant. A glorious place of wonder...and destruction. when 4 friends accidentally find a special device that can transport them there, they find their new home welcoming. But can this peace stay for long?
1. Chapter 1

A fanfic created for the MSHS RWBY club. Includes several OC's, one of them is mine. Pairings between my OC and an official RWBY character. It is yet to be decided who. Until other OC's are decided, first two chapters will be centered on me and my OC. So, we begin...

It was a casual day at Mt. Spokane High School. The school had just finished final exams for the first semester. Barrett had the exams finished pretty quickly, so the teacher let him go to the band room since there was no exam in that room. There were no people either.

"Ugh...finally, exams are over. I can't wait for Christmas..." He said as he wandered into the band room, going to his band locker. He noticed something odd right off the bat. Pieces of paper were sticking out...he opened the locker, only to be drowned in sticky notes that said "Watch RWBY!" On each one. Barrett blinked a couple times. It was his friend Jeff. He had to have put those in there. Barrett shook his head a bit and laughed. His smile soon faded, however. He pulled something odd out of his backpack, shaped like a tablet. He turned it on, and became immersed. Jeff wandered in soon after.

"So...you uh...got my recommendation? "

"Screw you, man." Barrett said laughing.

Jeff laughed and sat next to him. And just like Barrett, his smile left quickly.

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"Not even close. But I did find out something cool."

The device Barrett held in his hand was no ordinary tablet. A man in a military outfit shoved it into Barrett 's hands in Seattle on their recent band trip there. The man ran off right after. Instead of turning the contraption in, he kept it a secret, and showed Jeff over the weekend. The device held the strange power, to look at an interactive version of Remnant from RWBY. But there were buttons to virtualize items. Jeff even accidentally virtualized a pair of drumsticks. But the emotions the characters showed were real. The character Jaune Arc was hit by the drumsticks, and Pyrrha Nikos rushed to his side. That's when Barrett knew something was wrong. This wasn't just a tablet. This was a portal to Remnant.

"The virtualize button can work in reverse. We can take their weapons if we want!"

"Really!?" Jeff leaned over to see, losing his balance, and falling on the tablet...right on the virtualize button. In a flash of blue light, the tablet shot the two with a bolt of electricity, sending them right into the "portal". For Barrett, everything went black...

Barrett woke up to four women surrounding him. His vision was fuzzy, and the woman in black attempted to help him by offering her hand. He weakly took her hand, and slowly got up. He staggered a bit, then stood straight up. He was smack in the middle of what looked like a town. The woman in Red to his left steadied him.

"Are you okay!?"

He struggled to speak. "I...y-yeah..."

The blonde woman slapped his shoulder. "That was quite a fall, buddy!"

Barrett fell over again. The woman in a white skirt yelled at her.

"You dolt, he's probably hurt! Are you alright, sir?"

Barrett quietly got up, and held his head. "Yeah...I'm fine."

The woman in black held his shoulder gently. "Take it easy."

Barrett 's vision steadied. In in front of him, stood Blake Belladonna. He looked back to his left. Ruby Rose. Behind him, Weiss Schnee. And finally, Yang Xiao Long. He had been successfully digitized. No, transported through dimensions.

"Y-y-you're team RWBY..."

Blake looked at him a little shocked, then nodded. "Well, yes. I can't say we know you though."

Barrett looked at himself to make sure he was presentable. His heart stopped. He had created a character to pretend that he was in RWBY a while back. Barrett was now, literally, his character. A blue coat with a higher collar, unzipped, going to his feet. Blonde spiked hair. Green eyes. He looked like GV from Azure Striker Gunvolt. His wrist gauntlets were black with red stripes though. He found a blue sword with red, vein-like designs on his back. If he remembered correctly, it folded into an arm fitting machine gun. The sword was a simple one. Not a greatsword, but not a rapier. Barrett went white.

Weiss looked at him, worried. "S-sir?"

"Am...Am I dead...?" He asked quietly.

Yang casually responded "It doesn't look like it." She then picked her teeth.

Blake held his shoulder again. "What's your name?"

Barrett hesitated, then shakily spoke. "...Azure. my name is Azure Rouge."

Yang gave her toothy smile. "Nice to meet Ya, Azure!" She gave him a firm arm around the shoulder. The newly named Azure smiled nervously at her. Ruby moved her off of him.

"Sorry about my sister...she's a bit odd."

Azure laughed. "I know. I know most things about you guys..."

Weiss became suspicious. "...how?"

Azure took a breath, then explained the recent events. Blake, Ruby, and Yang were awestruck. Weiss on the other hand, was not so sure.

"Prove it." She simply stated.

"...Blake is a Faunus. "

Her eyes grew wide, while Blake did the same. Yang made a whistling noise.

"That bomb just dropped. " Yang said.

Blake spoke to Weiss.

"He knows us. He's telling the truth."

"Hey guys!" The voice came from the blonde boy known as Jaune Arc. He and Pyrrha Nikos, the red haired huntress, were walking over calmly.

"Who's this?" Pyrrha asked, looking at Azure.

Azure looked at her and offered his hand for a handshake. "Hey, Pyrrha. My name is Azure."

She was shocked, but took his handshake. "W-Well, hello."

Jaune offered a handshake. "A pleasure."

Azure shook his hand, smiling. "Likewise."

Weiss spoke. "Azure, why don't we go back to Beacon? I'm sure Ozpin will want to talk to you."

Azure nodded. Not only was he excited to meet Ozpin, he was excited to go to the legendary school in one of his favorite places!

The group slowly made their way to the school as Azure explained his situation to Jaune and Pyrrha. As expected, they were shocked. They chatted and debated all the way to Ozpin's office, not even realizing it. Glenda Goodwitch stopped them at the door.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

Weiss spoke up. "We're sorry, Ms. Goodwitch. But this boy here is having some issues...and we would like to recommend him for Beacon."

The rest of the gang played it cool, looking very casual. Goodwitch eyed the boy with what he could've sworn was the look of Medusa. Azure felt a bead of sweat on his back before she let up.

"...You have 10 minutes."

Azure nodded, and walked into Ozpin's office. Now, what he expected was a professional man, drinking coffee. Not a man playing 3ds. Azure was surprised that this technology existed in Remnant. He steadied himself.

"Ozpin, sir...?"

The man looked up and closed the device. "Ah. Sit, my boy."

Azure did so. The seat was very nice. He looked at Ozpin very professionally.

"Sir, I'd...I'd like to enroll at Beacon."

"And why is that?"

"Well...you see sir..." Azure explained the situation to Ozpin, who stayed surprisingly stone faced. Afterward, there was a long silence.

"Very well then. I feel that it may prove interesting. You must keep up on your studies, however. I expect you to train more than anyone."

"U-understood, sir!"

"Lucky for you, there is a training class beginning soon. Ruby and the others are attending."

Azure nodded. He needed to get as fluent with a sword as possible. Not to mention the gun. He figured Jeff had to be out there. If he had enough sense, he would come to Beacon.

He exited, and met the others.

"Well?" Blake asked.

"I'm in." He replied, smiling nervously. The others cheered him. Even a couple claps from Weiss.

"Shall we then?" Asked Weiss, holding her head high as usual. "Class starts soon."

"Lead the way."

Azure looked proud. They made their way to the sparring match stage, with other students. The professor teaching was, of course, Goodwitch. She tapped on the wall to get the crowd's attention.

"Attention! I am pleased to announce the arrival of a new student. Please welcome Azure Rouge. Azure, please come up here."

Azure shakily obeyed as the crowd clapped for him. He saw what looked like Cardin Winchester and his gang pointing at him. Azure paid it no mind.

Goodwitch spoke again. "Please, introduce yourself."

Azure took a deep breath. " my name is Azure Rouge. I hope to learn great things from the many talented people here."

The crowd clapped for him. Goodwitch motioned for him to stay.

"To see what he can do, let's have... Ms. Schnee come up."

Azure turned white again. Right off the bat in a match against Weiss!? That was insane! He braced for the worst. Weiss pridefully stepped up, and took her stance. Azure drew his blade, and held it backhand.

"I'll go easy on you." She said.

"Fine by me." He said just loud enough for her to hear.

"Start!" Goodwitch yelled. Weiss lunged full speed at Azure.

"Just kidding!" She yelled. Azure reacted quickly. He pivoted on his left foot, dodging her, to her surprise. Azure stuck her hard on the back as she passed, throwing her into the air. A glyph appeared behind her as she jumped from it back at him, spinning. Azure was too slow to recover, and was given a nice slash to the shoulder. Azure quickly flipped his blade forehand, as it broke down, and molded to his right arm, giving it a nice, armored look. He clenched his hand in a fist, as a very techy looking machine gun formed. Weiss was shocked. This gave Azure his opening. Along with the rapid fire mode came a charge shot. He whipped behind her, and landed a charge blow to her back, launching her. She spun again, and used 3 glyphs to bound back at Azure. Azure readied his charge again, when Goodwitch stopped them.

"Time!" She yelled. "Well done, both of you. That was excellent use of your glyphs, Ms. Schnee."

She beamed. "Thank you."

Goodwitch looked at Azure again, and gave a very slight smile. "Extraordinary use of backhanded swordplay. The charge shots were extremely well placed, as well."

Azure was confused. He couldn't do that at home if he was on drugs. What got into him?

"Th-thank you, ma'am."

She nodded at him. "You two may go."

Both Weiss and Azure nodded, and slowly walked back. When they got back, Ruby was excited.

"How'd you learn to fight, Azure!? That was awesome! You were all like, ching ching, chk-chk boom!" She made karate movements with each sound effect. Weiss smiled.

"I must admit, you did very well. I didn't expect so much skill." Weiss stated, rubbing her back a little.

Azure was still shaking, nervous. "Th-thanks..." he was white.

Ruby was still making noises when Blake tapped his arm from the seat beside him.

"Well done. Would you like help with backhand techniques though?" She asked, feeling very trusting of him after seeing him fight.

"Well...I guess..." Azure was a bit hesitant. She seemed nice enough to him though. She smiled a little at him. Goodwitch had finished some paperwork, then spoke again.

"For the next two hours, you will train in groups of 4 to 6! I will be here if you need me."

Everyone began moving frantically, trying to find friends. Team RWBY stuck together, and Blake pulled Azure with her. When the group was at their training field, Blake pulled her back handed weapon out.

"Don't let the blade cut you on your back swing. It's better to be careful and dash at opponents with the blade." Blake demonstrated a bit. Azure watched intently. He pulled his sword from his back, and practiced with her. She nodded at him, and stopped, watching his slashes. He was doing well from what he could tell. He stopped after a good 30 minutes, sweating a little.

"Well done. It's much better." She sat by a nearby tree and pulled out a small book. Ruby was trying to break up an argument between Weiss and Yang about Weiss's hair. Blake offered Azure a seat.

"Relax. You earned it." She said. Azure sat down, still breathing a little heavier. Blake was immersed in her book, but managed to talk to him all the same.

"So you essentially made yourself up?"

"In a way...but I guess I'm here now. "

He pulled the sword from his back, and looked at the red vein design. He would expect that it was dust. Blake looked up from her book at the blade.

"It's very well made." She stated. She pulled her own weapon. She compared designs of the blades, and felt the weight of each. She accidentally triggered the weapon switch on Azure's weapon. It folded back onto her arm, adjusting to every curve and bump. She was surprised, jumping a little. She then calmed, and analyzed the weapon.

"Interesting...it adapts to the user's arms." She shot it a couple times at a nearby training dummy. Only one shot hit. Right shoulder. Blake sighed.

"Not very accurate, though." She said. Azure sighed as well.

"Blake, your arm was shaking the entire time."

Azure stood up. "Maybe I can help you with gunning?"

Blake hesitated and stood up. She pulled out her weapon, and changed it into gun form.

"Fine." She agreed. She pointed her gun at the dummy. Three shots were fired. Two missed, one hit. Azure removed his weapon from her arm, and equipped it on himself. He pointed at the dummy, and shot a spray of bullets. Three quarters of them hit.

"With my weapon, it's meant to fire a lot, so I can hit my opponent easier. Yours must be accurate. Imagine you have my gun on. The bullet comes from you, not the gun. Think of it that way."

Blake nodded. She fired again with that in mind. All three shots hit. She stood there, stunned. Azure smiled.

"Nice!" He said. "I used to shoot rifles with my dad back home. I don't know much, but..."

Blake lowered her gun. She smiled gently at him. "Thank you. I appreciate this."

Azure smiled back. Ruby came over after dealing with Yang and Weiss, who were now sparring. Ruby smiled.

"At least you two get along. How'd it go?"

"Well." Blake said. She put her blade away.

"I swear, when Yang isn't fighting, she's cracking jokes..."

"What's wrong with that?" Azure asked, messing with his gun a bit.

"She isn't telling jokes to Weiss."

Azure stopped. "...oh."

Blake shook her head. "Weiss is stubborn, and Yang is lax. Not always a good combination."

Azure felt a device go off in his pocket. His new scroll. He pulled it out, and looked at the alert. It read, "large Grimm spotted in the forest! Return to the dorms immediately! The following members will fan out and attempt to kill this beast:

Azure Rouge

Ruby Rose

Blake Belladonna

Weiss Schnee

Yang Xiao Long

Lie Ren

Nora Valkyrie

Jaune Arc

Pyrrha Nikos"

Ruby frowned. "Ugh. This'll be a chore."

Blake looked at Azure. "Ready for your first mission?"


	2. Chapter 2

Back at Mt. Spokane High School, John walked into the band room. Although he had finished his exams with about half of the testing period to spare, his proctor would not allow him to leave the room for any reason. So after waiting over an hour with absolutely nothing to do, John left the classroom. When he reached the band room, he expected to see Barrett, as he figured that his friend would already be there.

Instead, he found a strange tablet. He had never seen it before. He looked around him, only to find he was the only one in the room. Curious, John picked the tablet up and looked at the screen. He saw Beacon Academy and all the students and staff there. At first he thought it was just an episode of RWBY downloaded from YouTube. Taking another look, he noticed a few buttons on the screen as well. Curiosity took over, and he pressed one of the buttons.

All he saw was a flash of blinding light.

John opened his eyes, realizing he was free-falling. He tried to reorient himself to view the ground rather than the sky, but he immediately felt a sharp pain as he hit the ground. He blacked out from the pain.

When he finally came to, he found a man standing over him. His vision coming into focus, John looked up. He saw a blonde man about 6' tall, wearing a black hoodie, jeans, and some light armor.

"Wait a minute...are you Jaune?" John asked.

"That's me. How did you know?" Jaune answered, offering his hand.

As he got up, John replied, "Lucky guess." He looked around and saw a large Nevermore. His eyes widened in shock.

Jaune turned around, realizing what John had seen. "Yeah, my team-"

"JNPR?"

"-Yeah, and team RWBY were assigned to take the Grimm down. Oh, and there's a new guy, too. I think his name's Azure. Speaking of, what's your name?"

John opened his mouth to reply, but caught a glimpse of himself. _Craziest costume change ever. Wait a minute...am I that OC I designed for if I were ever to end up in Remnant? I never thought that would ever happen, let alone make ME my own character… _John thought.

"You okay?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. The name's Robin, by the way. Robin Maize."

"Cool name," Jaune said.

"Thanks," Robin replied, examining himself. _Wow, everything is down to the finest detail. _He was dressed in his combat gear, which entailed black boots, black protective gauntlets, very dark red pants, and a shirt that looked similar to Dan Phantom, except without the emblem and dark red (same shade as the pants) instead of white. He also had a belt with dust cartridges like that for Weiss's Myrtenaster, and a large, pitch-black hooded cloak that Ruby would want if it were red. Looking down, he also noticed the twin katanas and behind his back he kept dual pistols.

"Anyway," Jaune continued, "the alert said that everyone else had to return to their dorms."

"Uh, it seems like you guys could use some help, though," Robin said, pointing behind Jaune.

Jaune wheeled around to see several of his friends knocked away by the Nevermore. "I guess you're right. Let's explain all of this to Ozpin afterwards."

"Fine by me. Now let's go, before the Nevermore hurts anyone else."

As Jaune rushed headfirst into battle, Robin felt something else behind his back. Taking it out, he found himself looking at a mask. It was black, looked like a skull or something, and had three red slashes across it from top left to bottom right, opposite from the slashes of the White Fang emblem.

He placed the mask on and donned his hood, knowing his eyes would change color from their usual comforting brown color to a menacing red. He then dashed quickly into battle, holding his twin katanas backhand as he lunged for the Nevermore. Although he got a clean hit on the Grimm, it seemed to do little to no damage to it.

Skidding to a stop, Robin flipped the katanas forehand and slammed them together. The two blades fused together to create what appeared to be a broadsword. He dashed forward once again, dodged the Nevermore's attack, and managed to stab it in one of its wings, but this seemed to only make it really angry.

The Nevermore knocked Robin back as he thought, _Well, on the bright side, it can't fly anymore..._

Robin recovered in midair and reoriented himself. He plunged his broadsword into the ground and skidded to a halt. He looked up to see a man with blonde spiked hair and a blue coat with a higher collar, unzipped, going to his feet. Getting up, he asked the stranger, "So I guess you're Azure, huh?"

The man simply nodded before unsheathing his sword and collapsing it around his arm. The mechanism looked like some high-tech machine gun or something. Azure charged a shot and launched it at the Nevermore. Though a clean hit, the attack (just like all the other ones) had no effect on the Grimm.

"I guess we're going to have to try something else, uh..." Azure began.

"The name's Robin."

"Ah. Robin. You did get a nice hit on its wing, though." Azure said, making himself steady again.

As though hearing this, the Nevermore screeched and launched feathers from its one good wing, catching the pair of hunters-in-training off-guard.

In a desperate attempt to guard against the feathers, he used his machine gun fire to try and knock the feathers down, but was having serious problems.

Noticing this, Robin shot in front of Azure and held forward his right hand, conjuring a shield out of pure energy. Behind this shield, both men were safe as the feathers were harmlessly deflected away.

Azure knew what that power was. Semblance. He had no idea what his own was, nor how to use it. However, if there was any time to learn, it was now. This determination sparked his spirit. Quite literally. Electricity began to encircle him, and copies upon copies of Azure came into being, surrounding the Nevermore. They were harmless though.

At the same time, Robin vaporized the energy shield and separated his broadsword back into the twin katanas. He plunged them into the ground and rolled the Dust revolvers on his belt, stopping them with his gauntlets. The energy of the dust flowed into the gauntlets, causing them to glow with the power of the respective elements. As it was, Robin's right gauntlet received the energy of fire, his left received ice. Using his Semblance in a different way now, he shot energy beams at the Nevermore, but the Dust from the gauntlets affected the energy, changing it into the two elements of fire and ice. He then picked up his twin katanas, the blades changing color from the pitch black they normally were to red (for the fire dust) and a very light blue (for the ice dust).

Azure's eyes were filled with electricity. It radiated off the side of his eyes. A sphere of pure lightning surrounded him, sparking in different directions. His gun radiated a vibrant blue. He used his machine gun fire to mow the Nevermore's wings and legs, preventing it from moving. His electricity focused into a sword, attaching to his gunner arm. Some of the Azure morphed into copies of Robin.

"Robin, go for the head! I'll take the chest!"

Robin dashed and retreated repeatedly, combining his melee katana attacks with is ranged Dust attacks (also from the katanas). Meanwhile, Azure assaulted the Nevermore's chest with a deadly combination of sword swipes and charges shots. The fluidity with which both of them worked was absolutely astonishing.

Their movements were totally in sync, and they helped each other out with their Semblances, too. Azure confused the Nevermore with the countless clones of himself and Robin, and Robin shielded both of them from any stray attacks (usually the beak).

Blake looked at them in awe. As did Yang. The combo was flawless. Yet, they had never met. The electricity, the fire, the ice. Each was perfectly executed. The Nevermore was soon on its last legs, so to speak.

"End it!" Yelled Yang.

Azure raced to meet Robin at the Nevermore's head, and with uncanny timing and precision, the pair executed a perfect combo of sword slashes, ultimately ending in the two of them decapitating the Nevermore.

As the Nevermore dissipated, Azure recalled his clones and Robin dispelled the Dust from his gauntlets. The dumbfounded and awestruck expressions given by teams RWBY and JNPR were absolutely priceless, Jaune's being especially entertaining. Robin removed his mask and concealed it behind his back, where he still had the unused guns. _I'm going to have to remember those next time, _he thought to himself. As he removed his hood, his eyes calmed back down from the menacing red of the battle to the comforting brown they typically were.

Azure folded the arm gun back into a Longsword, then into his sheath in a single movement. He then approached Robin.

"Not bad, my man." He stated with a smirk. He offered a handshake.

"We take down a Nevermore, and all you can say is 'Not bad'?" Robin fumed.

Stunned, Azure began to withdraw his hand.

"Oh, I'm just kidding," Robin said with a smile, shaking Azure's hand.

Azure smiled again, and laughed, shaking Robin's hand. "Atta kid!"

The two laughed as they shook hands. Blake and Yang were still freaked out by the impeccable teamwork that was just displayed.

Turning back to the group, Robin asked, "So I guess we're off to Ozpin's office?" The group nodded at this.

As they walked back to Beacon, Robin explained his situation and answered questions. The questions came quickly, almost overwhelming poor Robin.

"Name?"

"Robin Maize."

"Do you know who all of us are?"

"Of course. You're teams RWBY and JNPR."

"And just how much DO you know?"

"Quite a bit, actually."

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

Robin sighed and took a deep breath. "...and Blake is a Faunus."

Azure laughed. "I said the same thing...wait. What school did you say you went to?"

"Mt. Spokane High School. Why?" Robin asked.

Azure's eyes went wide. "...Jeff?"

"Actually, no. I'm John. Not to be confused with Jaune over there."

"John...? It's me, Barrett!"

"Barrett? I don't believe it! Well, maybe I do..."

The rest of the group just looked at them, confused. Finally, Weiss asked, "So you two know each other?"

"Yes! We were friends back at home"," Azure answered.

Blake stepped forward. "I assume you fight monsters at home?"

"Well...no. Never..." Azure replied.

Blake was shocked. The power they demonstrated suggested otherwise.

"How is that possible?" she asked.

"I don't know," Azure admitted. "I'm actually still trying to process the fact that I almost beat Weiss."

"Wait, really?" Robin asked excitedly.

"Never speak of it again," Weiss snapped.

"I'll tell you later," Azure whispered.

They group made their way back to Beacon, reporting the Grimm's defeat at the hands of Azure and Robin. Ozpin soon requested Robin's presence in his office after the Grimm defeat report.

"So, you are this Robin who helped Azure defeat the giant Grimm?" he questioned, sipping his coffee.

"Yes, sir," Robin replied respectfully.

"Ah. So I've been informed that you are in the same situation as Mr. Rouge."

"Azure?" Ozpin nodded. "Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it."

"According to the report, you displayed exceptional skills today, performing especially admirably while teamed up with Mr. Rouge."

"Thank you, headmaster, but everything right now seems a bit..."

"Overwhelming?"

"Yes. Today's been one heck of a day."

"For you and Mr. Rouge both, no doubt." Ozpin paused. "Based on recent events, I believe it wise to offer you enrollment in my school. After all, your report puts you in high regards, and, well...it's not like we can have a team of only one student."

Robin paused, thinking for a moment. "I accept your invitation. I look forward to training and honing my skills."

Ozpin smiled. "I'm very pleased to hear that. See Professor Goodwitch for housing arrangements and schedules, and please take Mr. Rouge with you."

Goodwitch nodded. "Come with me," she told him, as she gathered her things. She opened the door and tapped on Azure's shoulder, motioning for him to come with her. Azure nodded, and followed.

Goodwitch led them to their new dormitory, and inside they were met with the standard 4 beds and a couple of dressers. Robin and Azure turned around, confusion on their faces.

"Uh, Professor..." Azure began.

"Yes, Mr. Rouge?"

"What about our other two teammates?"

Goodwitch handed the pair their schedules. "All in due time. At this point, I wouldn't be too surprised to find a couple more new faces around here. If that doesn't turn out to be the case, I'm sure we can easily find two more students anyway."

"Anything else, Professor?" Robin inquired.

"Actually, yes, Mr. Maize." She handed them some cards. They knew what it was. "Here is 1500 Lien for each of you, courtesy of the headmaster. You are to get school supplies and extra clothing first and foremost, though afterwards the remaining Lien is yours to spend."

"Thank you, ma'am." In his head, Azure was singing Hallelujah.

Goodwitch snapped in his face to focus him. "You also have an entrance exam soon. You best practice."

"R-right," Azure replied, snapping back to reality.

"Understood, Professor," Robin responded.

Goodwitch turned around and left the pair in their new dorm.

"Well this has been quite a day..."

"Tell me about it."

They decided to head into Vale to buy supplies and clothes quickly before coming back to spar. On their way out of the dorm room, they heard an argument. They recognized the voices. They looked a bit down the hall to see Weiss and Yang arguing yet again. Azure and Robin watched as teams RWBY and JNPR walked into their respective dorms, and quickly became delighted at the news that they were neighbors to the two teams. Azure approached Blake before she could enter her dorm.

"So, Blake...I know it's a bit rushed, since we just met today, but...would you like to go into town with me sometime?" He asked, nervous.

Blake smiled genuinely at him. "Absolutely." She said nothing else and entered her dorm.

Azure walked back very calmly, then took a deep breath. "That's the closest I have EVER come to flirting..."

Robin facepalmed at Azure's comment, then pat him on the back in celebration of his accomplishment. "Hey, that's farther than I've managed with anyone, here or back home."

"Dude, just try being nice. I was nice to Blake, and that happened." He breathed, relieved.

Robin sighed. "Fine, I'll try that. Not today, though. We've got books and clothes to buy, not to mention we need to train for that entrance exam." He paused. "And just for the record, that did not work AT ALL back home."

Azure smiled. "It did. You didn't look closely enough. To Vale, then?"

"To Vale!"

They boarded the airship and descended into Vale. From there, they quickly found a bookstore **(A/N: Tukson's Book Trade?)** where they got all of their school books and a few extras for leisure.

"Books on dust, a book on weapon tweaking, history of Remnant...and a novel Blake likes. I'm gonna try it." Azure listed, carefully placing each in a bag.

"Same here, different novel though. The summary sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot," Robin said. "So, off to get some PJs, I guess."

Azure chuckled. "Hopefully we'll get more than JUST pajamas, Robin."

Robin smiled, and the pair headed off to get clothes. They soon arrived at a small clothes store, and shopped for a while. Azure found a backpack that had the perfect color and look for his techy outfit. While looking for some other clothes, he came across the same blue onesie that Jaune had.

"Well...that, uh..." he chuckled a bit. "Hey, Robin! I think I know where Jaune got his onesie from!"

Robin walked over. "Why in the name of Dust do you have that?" he asked, smiling.

"That kid, I swear..." he laughed.

"He's certainly special, that one..." Robin said as he continued his search for more clothes.

"Well, I have what I need. Do you?" He asked.

"Yep," Robin replied as he found pajamas and street clothes perfect for his taste. "Ready to go?"

"Of course." They purchased their items and left the store. Checking the time, they started back to the airship. They stopped at a nearby restaurant for a quick dinner before getting on the airship and ascending back up to Beacon.

Ruby met them at the landing pad. "Hey, guys!"

Azure was surprised. "Hey, Ruby. What's up?"

Ruby ran cheerfully over to them. "Team JNPR and Team RWBY are planning a hangout tonight. We were wondering if you wanted to come!"

Azure looked at Robin for confirmation.

"I don't see why not," Robin said with a smile.

She grinned at his sudden cheerfulness. "Where have you two been, anyway?"

"We went into Vale to get our school books and some extra sets of clothes," Robin answered. "We even found Jaune's blue onesie in the clothing store!"

"Sounds like you two had a bit of fun." They started walking back to their dorms.

"Well, it was certainly a change of pace from the rest of the day," Azure commented.

"Yeah," Robin added. "I don't know about you, but the LAST thing I want to do after falling out of the sky is to fight a Nevermore."

Azure shook his head. "I feel drained after that..."

"That's part of why we're doing this," Ruby explained. "We all just need to unwind after all that's happened today."

"Please and thank you..." Azure sighed.

"Blake seemed particularly fond of spending time with you, Azure." She said, winking.

Azure turned red. "Wha...? Well, I...um...wh-what will we do at the hangout, Ruby?"

"We hang out, of course!" Robin rolled his eyes and chuckled at the obvious response. "There will be snacks and drinks and everyone will be having a good time!" Ruby continued.

"C'mon, Azure, let's drop off our stuff and hang out with teams RWBY and JNPR," Robin said.

"O-Okay..." Azure replied, not blushing any less furiously.

The two dropped off their newly purchased things, and met the two teams out in the main room of the dormitory building. Ruby excitedly waved at the pair of boys, calling them over.

"Hey, you two!" Yang exclaimed as they arrived. "How was shopping?"

"Better than fighting a Nevermore." Azure noted.

"I don't know, Azure. Shopping with you was almost worse than fighting that Nevermore," Robin joked.

"Shut up, man."

"I'd rather not."

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not yet. But I know YOU do."

"Like what?" Realization dawned on Azure's face. "Oh..." he said with a blush.

"Just go," Yang said with a gesture to Blake. "And remember, in the words of Jaune, 'All ladies look for is confidence.'"

"R-Right," Azure stammered. He composed himself and walked over to Blake. _I can't believe I basically just took romantic advice from Jaune,_ Azure scolded himself as he sat down.

"Hey." He quietly said. To his surprise, she put her book down and turned to him, smiling.

"Hello." She said confidently back."So, have any hobbies?"

"Well...I'm a writer, a percussionist, a singer, an actor..."

Blake was astonished. "All that? Could you sing for me sometime?"

"S-Sure! Hey, you guys still celebrate Christmas, right?"

Blake smiled again. "Of course. There's only 2 weeks until Christmas."

"What do you want for Christmas?"

Blake thought for a minute. "...a locket."

"A locket...?"

"Something special to keep with me. Something to remind me of those I care about."

"Done!" Azure exclaimed. Blake was surprised. She trusted Azure though, and smiled.

Blake blushed a little. "...do you want to sit here, Azure?" She scooted over a bit, making a bit of space more beside her.

"S-Sure." Azure blushed back, and sat beside her. After he sat, he asked Ruby. "What do you all do for Christmas?"

Ruby replied excitedly. "We carol, buy presents for people, put up a tree, and hang out! We need to go grocery shopping soon for Christmas, though..."

"Ingredients for a big Christmas dinner, I assume?" Robin asked.

"Yep. And with you two there are even more mouths to feed."

_Something tells me you're gonna need to add two more to your headcount,_ Robin thought to himself. "When were you guys going to head out?"

"Either tomorrow or the day after that."

"Yeah," Yang added, "we figured we would wait until after your entrance exams. Plus, I really wanna watch that!"

"Oh, yeah, Robin. I guess we forgot to spar today," Azure piped up.

Pyrrha joined the group. "Based on what I saw today, I am sure that you two will do just fine," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

"Yeah, Azure. If we can take down a Nevermore, I'm pretty sure we can pass the exam." Robin smiled. With that said, everyone went back to general conversation. Classes, exams, sparring matches, and the like were the typical topics of choice.

Azure and Robin were in for a large change of pace. But the question remained...where was Jeff?

**A/N: Hey, this chapter is 12 pages. When should we stop?**

**There we go.**

**Onto Ch 3?**

**Should we leave it with the question, or should we replace it with "a strange figure" falling through the roof and sprawled on the floor?**

**Question. We don't have a strange figure.**

**True. Just keep in mind that Robin doesn't know for sure that Jeff is there (as opposed to you, who knows FOR A FACT that Jeff is there...somewhere). I know.**

**Ch 3 then?**

**Ch 3.**


	3. Chapter 3

The two and a half teams had fun talking, joking and watching videos. Blake, halfway through the night, laid her head on Azure's shoulder, to his surprise. Ruby ended up talking and laughing with Robin quite a bit. The two boys seemed to be fitting in. Weiss ended up teasing Ruby later.

Azure's scroll went off. He pulled it out, and read the alert.

"Azure, please tell Robin this information. As of now, until we find 2 new students, you will attend school, and attend missions with Team RWBY.

Regards,

Ozpin"

Azure shrugged. "Fine by me."

"What's fine by you?" Robin asked.

"Just got a message from Ozpin. Looks like we'll be hanging with team RWBY until our team is full."

"I think we both can agree with that," Robin said, looking over at Ruby and Blake.

"I've noticed that you and Ruby have been getting along quite nicely."

"Oh, uh...yeah." Robin blushed.

"You gonna go for it?"

Robin sighed. "Probably not tonight. I _do_ have some things in mind, though."

Azure chuckled. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"You'll find out later." Robin paused for a moment. "So...is Jeff here, too?"

"How did you know?"

"You just confirmed it. Although I thought he might be here somewhere when you thought I was Jeff after we defeated the Nevermore."

"Yeah, Jeff is here...somewhere."

They turned back to the rest of the group, greeted by smiles from all 8 of them. They shared the news of Ozpin's temporary arrangements, much to the delight of team RWBY, especially Ruby and Blake, but withheld the details of their other conversation. The two and a half teams continued their fun for a little while longer. It started to get late, and the group decided to turn in, mainly so that Azure and Robin would be ready for the exam the next day. They collectively walked down the hall to their dorms, and said their "goodnights," sharing handshakes and hugs before separating for the night.

Azure sighed. " I don't know, Robin. I think Ruby is into you."

Robin chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

Azure grinned. " I made some progress with Blake."

"Really?" Robin raised an eyebrow. "How much progress are we talking here?"

Azure beamed. "Low key cuddling."

"Wow," Robin smirked, "you really seem to be proud of yourself."

"Indeed I am. She's a very nice girl. A bit quiet, though."

"Well, what did you expect? Her favorite thing to do is to read."

"Actually, she wants to learn to sing."

"And that's just another thing for me to add to my list of 'What I Learned Today,' isn't it?"

"Along with what you learned about Ruby?"

"I knew she had a real affinity for weapons, but somehow I didn't expect her to go on about it for as long as she did. Fortunately, I did know at least part of what she was talking about, so I could, y'know, hold my half of the conversation. That just confirmed how I want to try to move this forward."

"Lots of partner missions?" Azure asked, opening their dorm door.

"That's part of it, though I'm not sure how well that would actually work."

Azure smiled. "You'll make it work."

"I know I will. But for now, let's just focus for tomorrow's exam. And that means catching plenty of Z's!" Robin said, jumping for the nearest bed.

"I hear that. See you, man." With that, he jumped in the opposite bed, and fell quickly asleep.

The next morning, the two woke up, and spent the rest of the morning sparring. Soon enough, exam time came. The two would be registered as a pair. Other team members would be tested, and added to the team.

Azure stood on his proper springboard, donning the new backpack, completing the Gunvolt look. "You ready Robin...?"

Robin smirked as he donned his hood and mask. "Of course I'm ready." He then added jokingly, "I just hope you're ready, too."

"You know it!" A faint trace of electricity sparked around him.

"Alright, let's do this!" Robin encased himself in a protective layer of energy. Right before takeoff, he asked Azure, "So, do you have a landing strategy?"

"A little technique I whipped up." With that, he was flung into the air, his body encasing in pure lightning, increasing his distance a bit.

Robin followed suit, using his power over energy to increase his distance and slow his fall.

Azure released a sphere of lightning, slowing his descent. To his delight, he landed very close to the trophy pedestals. As he landed, he could see the ruins. Though still far off, it was much closer than he expected. He began to scan for Grimm and other students, looking up in time to see Robin slow his descent and roll to a halt.

"No way I was going to partner with anyone else," Robin said as he dusted himself off.

"Fair enough. The ruins are fairly close. We move North. Keep watch on the back, I'll manage the front. Got it?"

"No problem. Let's go, before a Deathstalker or something shows up."

"Try to keep up." He ran off Northward, being careful about nearby Grimm.

"Oh, I don't have to try." Robin tailed closely, careful to look for anything behind them.

What was strange, is that the two barely encountered any Grimm. The only real threat were a couple of Ursai. Probably recovering from the giant Grimm's defeat.

"Something's definitely wrong here," Robin noted as they approached the ruins. "That was _too_ easy."

"Big time. Recovery by the Grimm from yesterday?" Azure wondered aloud, reaching the ruins.

"We only took down the Nevermore yesterday. How would that alone explain the absence of Grimm today?"

"Well, they aren't here. Its simple. They must have regrouped after yesterday's defeat." He wandered around the ruins, deciding to take the knight artifact.

"Aww, did someone not get a pony ride for his birthday?" Robin mocked.

"Shut up," he laughed. "Pick an artifact, and let's go."

Robin grabbed the other knight piece and followed Azure out of the ruins. A rumble could be heard close by.

"That has to be a Grimm. Let's go!" Azure began running back to the school.

_Good. No sense in rushing head-first into battle, _Robin thought to himself.

A Deathstalker burst from the brush, blind siding a quick reacting Azure, rolling away, equipping his gun, landing a couple good couple machine gun blows coming out of his roll.

"I _so_ called it," Robin said. He unsheathed his two katanas and unleashed a flurry of blinding attacks on the Deathstalker, rolling out of the way as it tried to impale him with its stinger.

The Deathstalker weaved in between many trees, strategically avoiding attacks, until Azure moved behind its intended tree, shooting a large charge shot, knocking it up into the air.

"Now, Robin!"

Robin intercepted the Deathstalker midair, striking it with another flurry of attacks, before finally connecting his katanas into his broadsword and striking it to the ground.

Azure changed to backhanded Longsword, somersaulted in midair, and landed a final, hard slash, ending the beast.

Robin landed next to the now-dead Grimm. "We should get moving, before others show up."

"Right." Azure nodded, and began running back to school again. He was not interrupted this time, nor was Robin. As they approached the cliffside, Azure asked, "How are we going to get up there?"

Robin looked at him and answered simply, "Like this." He used his Semblance to conjure a platform of energy below their feet. As he motioned up with his hand, the platform rose. Once they got to the top of the cliffside, they stepped off the platform, and it vanished.

"H-How did you…?"

Removing his mask and his hood, Robin explained. "With my Semblance, I can take energy and solidify it into objects, like platforms and weapons. However..." He collapsed from the sudden toll his technique had put on him. "..._this_ happens," he finished as he smiled weakly. Luckily, the pair was met by Ozpin and Goodwitch almost immediately.

"It looks like Mr. Maize isn't faring too well," Ozpin began. "I believe it will be best to send him to the medical wing immediately."

"N-No..." Robin said weakly. To the surprise of everyone, he got up and was soon standing. Nearly falling over, he leaned against a tree. "I just need...some rest."

"In that case, Mr. Maize, I hope you and your partner rest well with the knowledge that both of you passed the exam with flying colors."

"R-Really?" the stunned Azure managed to get out.

"Of course, Mr. Rouge. After all, you two are the first ones back, not to mention that you defeated a Deathstalker with record speed." He sipped his coffee. "It's times like these that prove you belong here, despite the fact you came from a very different place."

"T-thank you, sir!" He said, excited.

Ozpin and Goodwitch escorted the two back to the main hall, to loudly clapping students. Blake and Ruby were cheering the loudest. A screen showed a highlight video of the exams.

Ozpin walked to the live microphone, and spoke. "The two students you see here are indeed the two on the screen. We have known them only for a short while, but I am proud to announce...they passed with exceptional records!"

The crowd erupted with cheers.

"Azure Rouge, your use of the charge shot and your use of backhand swordplay was astonishing. Robin Maize, you used your Semblance perfectly. Each of you used your talents to the fullest. Though we need two more members, Azure, I pronounce you leader of this team."

Azure could have choked on his heart, because he would've sworn it jumped into his throat. "Really...sir?" he asked, trying to make sure it wasn't a mistake.

Ozpin nodded. "You displayed exceptional tactical skills as well as control over your Semblance."

Azure, still skeptical, asked, "Wh-What about Robin? He's just as capable as I am."

"Are you kidding?" Robin piped up. "I nearly passed out."

Ozpin nodded. "Robin is an exceptional fighter. However, his Semblance still needs to be controlled more."

The two students both agreed with his assessment. "You may now join your fellow students!"

When the two got back, Blake greeted Azure with a tight hug. As Ruby did to Robin.

Blake smiled a bit. "Astonishing. You fought well."

Azure blushed, easy for her to see. "Th-thanks."

"You did, too, Robin!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Thanks, but I wasn't kidding about almost passing out."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ruby asked, concerned.

"I didn't want to say this in front of the school, nor did I really want to be team leader anyway, but the reason I almost passed out wasn't because of a lack of control. It's just the nature of that technique. Maybe with training I can build up my endurance, but I will always get to the point of passing out if I use my Semblance like that too much." He then smiled and turned to Azure. "Like I said, I didn't really want to be leader anyway, and I figured you would be the perfect fit. Congratulations, leader."

Azure blinked, a little surprised. "Robin"…

"Why so surprised?"

"...you should've said something, man..."

"Nah. I'm sure Ozpin knew that already. Besides, from what you've seen, what tactical skills do I have?" _Actually, I have quite a bit, not that he needs to know that. And the guys back home said RTS games were useless…_ he thought to himself.

Blake looked up at Azure. "He's more of a power hitter. Let it be. By the way, we should celebrate."

Weiss almost tore her hair out. "Again!?"

"Aww, is the little snowflake tired of having fun? Does she want to go back to studying again?" Robin mocked, much to Ruby's delight.

Yang laughed. "More like brushing her hair."

"You...you dolt!"

The group laughed at Weiss's distress. After the ceremony, the group headed back to their floors' dorm lobby to meet Team JNPR.

Azure sat down, joined by Blake right beside him. Yang sat casually on a blanket.

"So you took out a Deathstalker that quickly?" she asked.

"Yep," Robin replied, sitting down. "We know enough to know it's weak points, and, well...our fighting skills did the rest."

Ruby seemed very impressed. Azure noticed, and nudged Robin.

"Hmm? Oh..." Robin, blushing slightly, scooted over, motioning to the newly open seat. "Ruby, would you like to..."

"Yes!" Ruby answered and sat next to him so quickly he was sure she used her Semblance. Realizing what she just did, she blushed furiously.

Blake snickered, and rested her head on Azure's shoulder, to his surprise yet again.

"You should sing, Azure." She said, catching a couple group members' attention.

Azure blushed. "Um...n-not right now..."

Robin chuckled. "So you're telling me that you can perform in front of hundreds of people for nearly two straight weeks, but you can't do the same in front of team RWBY even once?" he joked.

Blake's ears twitched under her bow. "Hundreds...?"

Azure went white and whispered. "Robin!"…

"What? Are you gonna tell me that was a past life or something?"

Blake used her kitty eyes. "Please...?"

Azure sighed. "Fine..."

Robin, excited at this, leapt up from his seat. "Ladies and...well, me...may I present to you, without further ado, THE Azure Rouge!" he announced with his best showman voice, gesturing to Azure.

Jaune piped up. "What about Ren and I?"

Ren chuckled. "I thought it was funny."

Azure stood, taking a couple deep breaths, then began to sing Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. It was a beautiful performance, leaving everyone in tears except for Ren and Robin.

As Azure sat back down, Blake rested her head once again on his shoulder. "That was beautiful," she said through her tears. "I've never heard it before. Where is it from?"

"It's from a school play my previous school did last year. That's probably why you've never heard of it. Anyway, it's called Les Miserables, and it's based on the history of France, a country from where Robin and I come from. You have four kingdoms, we have hundreds of countries," Azure explained.

Ruby calmed down a bit. "I get why Ren didn't get emotional, but why didn't you, Robin?"

Robin sighed. "When our old school did the play last year, I was in the instrumental pit. After months of rehearsals and then the two weeks of performances, I kinda got desensitized to the music. I assure you, though, I cried the first time I heard it, too."

"You can play an instrument?" Ruby asked.

"Several, actually. There's the trumpet, guitar, and a little bit of piano and pitched percussion. I'm also a writer, novice composer, gamer, technology enthusiast...and now that I'm here, weapon tinkerer." He smiled as he saw Ruby's face light up at that last one.

"Same for me. Singer, writer, scientist, percussionist, actor, Drum Corps enthusiast, piano player, and animal lover. Especially cats and dogs." He replied.

Blake's eyes lit up at the last part. She snuggled a little closer to him, wiping her eyes. Azure blushed, oblivious.

Ruby snuggled close to Robin, neither one caring what Yang had to say about it.

"So..." Jaune started, "what was it like back where you two came from?"

Robin, thinking for a moment, answered. "It was just like here, but with a lot less fighting. We went to school, but instead of learning about Grimm and battle strategies, we learned things like math and science. Got anything to add, Azure?"

"It sucked. Hardcore. Sure, we had music classes, but some of the teachers were...ugh..."

"Yeah, I've had my fair share of bad teachers, but I wouldn't say it sucked."

Blake looked at Azure for a bit, then brought up a depressing topic. "Have either of you dated anyone?"

They sat in silence for a moment. Robin finally spoke up, "I'll be the first of anyone to admit this, but never in my 16 years of life have I dated anyone." Looking down at Ruby, he smiled, adding, "But I suppose there's a first time for everything."

Azure sighed. "Technically, we're 18 now...and I've never seriously dated a girl..."

Blake blushed a little. "Sorry..."

"Nah. It's fine, Blake."

"Yeah," Robin added. "Besides, it's not like we can do anything about our old lives anymore. To be honest, I like it here a lot more."

"I second that, brother. Hey, it's getting late. We should call it."

Blake shook her head to say no.

"Hey, Blake? Can I...uh...talk to you for a bit...?"

Blake was surprised. "S-sure."

The two went to a distant hallway out of view.

Blake was very nervous. She had feelings for him, especially because he was so kind and talented. She hoped this was about what she thought it was. Azure stood in front of her, equally nervous.

"S-so, Blake...you've been very accepting of me...and you seem very attached to me...s-so I was wondering..." he stuttered.

"Yes, Azure?" Both their hearts were beating fast.

"W-Will you...go out with me...you know...be my girlfriend...?"

She was shocked. She didn't expect him to actually ask. "O-of course...! I would be proud to be!" She answered, excited. Azure was ecstatic. Before he knew it, he held her in a tight hug, spinning her. She laughed a little. Azure set her down, holding her hand.

"Thank you...you've made me extremely happy." He said, smiling at her. They returned to the group, holding hands.

"Ah," Robin greeted, "I see you've made it happen, captain." He gave a mock salute to Azure.

"This is great!" Ruby added. "You two are _perfect_ for each other!" _I wish Robin would ask the same of me…_ she thought.

"Hey, Ruby…"

"Yes, Robin?"

"How'd you like to head into Vale this weekend? We could shop, grab some components for our weapons, and tinker when we get back."

She was astonished at his confidence. She smiled. "I...of course! That sounds like fun! I can't wait to go!"

Robin smiled back. "That makes two of us."

Azure winked at Robin, signifying "good work."

Robin looked back at him, giving a smile that said "I told you I had something in mind."

The two and a half teams talked and had fun for another hour or so before finally deciding to follow Azure previous suggestion to turn in for the night. They walked back to their dorms as a group, finally splitting off with their goodbyes and a couple of hugs (specifically between Blake and Azure as well as Robin and Ruby).

As the newest students walked into their dorm, they began another conversation.

"So," Robin started, "it looks like we both made some progress today."

"Yep. Sure looks like it," Azure replied with a smile.

"I don't know about you, but now I _really_ can't wait for the weekend."

"So was that your plan?"

"Yep. Like I told you, I had a few things in mind."

"What's another?"

Robin smirked. "'Lots of partner missions.' How about you? Any plans now that you and Blake are officially together?"

Azure thought for a moment. "I still need to teach her to sing, for one."

"Good to hear you've got an idea of where to go. For me, this is uncharted territory."

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out pretty quickly."

"Thanks, man." The conversation now ended, the pair turned in for the night, both eagerly awaiting the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

The half-team woke up the next day ecstatic for what was to come.

"I get to teach Blake to sing today!"

"And I..." Robin's scroll went off. Looking at the message, his heart sank, his smile fading with it. "...apparently have to spar against Pyrrha Nikos in front of the entire school."

Azure was surprised. "Why!?"

"I don't know." Robin thought for a moment. "Didn't you say you sparred against Weiss a couple of days ago?"

Azure crossed his arms. "Well, yeah, but that was random..."

Looking at the message again, Robin said, "Maybe not as random as you think. How did Goodwitch announce the match?"

"Well, after I introduced myself, she had me stay up, then she randomly picked Weiss."

"Was it like...to test your skills?"

"Well...yeah. But you already took the exam."

"Even so, I haven't displayed my individual strength. Think about it. We fought the Nevermore and took the exam together. Nobody has seen what I'm capable of by myself. I guess this is my chance to show off."

"But why Pyrrha?"

"I don't know. Could be random, could be because she challenged me..." Robin almost lost himself in thought. "In any case, it looks like I'm fighting her today."

The two went to the mess hall for breakfast, where the match was the only topic among students. They joined teams RWBY and JNPR at a table and began to eat. Just like every other student in the school, all they talked about was the upcoming match, making it somewhat uncomfortable for both Robin and Pyrrha.

"So, Pyrrha," Robin asked, "you wouldn't happen to know why they're calling for this match?"

"Actually, I have no idea. I thought you challenged me, but now I know that's not the case."

"I think I know why they're doing this, then."

"What would be their reasoning?"

"I think they want to test my skills, see where I need to improve." In response, Pyrrha just looked at him, confused. He sighed. "Everything I've done so far has been in coordination with Azure. I think this match is a chance for Ozpin to see how strong I am as an individual hunter-in-training."

Pyrrha sat for a moment in thought. "Now that I think about it, you're right. None of us have seen what you can do by yourself."

The two and a half teams finished their breakfast and headed to the sparring arena. _How is the whole school going to observe this match with so few seats? _Robin thought.

As if reading his mind, Pyrrha answered. "The students in the stands are the students who are taking this class today. The match will be broadcasted to the scrolls of all the students so they can watch too."

"Oh, that makes sense," Robin said. As the two combatants approached the stage, Robin extended his hand to Pyrrha. "Good luck, not that it probably means a whole lot."

Pyrrha shook his hand. "Same to you. May the best fighter win."

Goodwitch walked onto the arena stage. "The two combatants may take their places now." As they did so, she continued, "Tournament rules will apply. When one fighter's Aura level reaches the Red Zone, the match is over." She turned to both of them. "Best of luck to both of you."

She walked off the stage, indicating the start of the match. Robin drew his katanas, donning neither his mask nor his hood. _For this fight, I'll need the element of surprise,_ he thought. He lunged for Pyrrha with astonishing speed. Pyrrha managed to block the quick burst of attacks from her opponent, but was not expecting what came next.

Robin stopped behind her, and in an instant sheathed one of his katanas (freeing his right hand) and pulled out a pistol, rapidly firing off two quick shots, both of which hit Pyrrha squarely in the back. He immediately holstered his pistol and redrew his katana, lunging again. As before, Pyrrha blocked his attacks, but was ready for the pistol shots.

Unfortunately for her, Robin didn't use a pistol this time. Instead of stopping, he used the wall for a complete turnaround and was coming back again for more sword slashes. Pyrrha easily blocked the attack, pushing her opponent back.

_Time to throw the dog a bone, _Robin thought. He charged once again at Pyrrha, deliberately aiming his attacks so Pyrrha would come in direct contact with his katanas and gauntlets. He quickly retreated. _Now let's see what she does with it._

Pyrrha's tactics immediately became offensive, charging at Robin, who managed to deflect many of her attacks. _It seems he's more defensive than he appears._ As she continued her chain of attacks, she began to use her Semblance to adjust Robin's movements. The adjustments weren't obvious enough to register with any of the students watching the match, but at the same time they weren't so subtle to the point that it no longer affected her opponent.

To the audience, it appeared as Robin had worn himself out, blocking fewer attacks. However, both fighters knew what was really going on. Robin used this to his advantage, and discreetly used his Semblance to form an inconspicuous shield wherever Pyrrha would have struck him. He eventually found an opening, which he used to force Pyrrha back. He sheathed his swords and charged once again at his opponent, catching her slightly off-guard. However, he used this opening to roll behind her, drawing both of his pistols as he did so. Firing several quick shots, he holstered his guns as Pyrrha began to block his bullets.

Redrawing his swords once again, he slammed the pommels together, creating a staff of sorts. _I wonder if it's bad that Darth Maul was my inspiration for this…_ he thought to himself as he charged, expertly spinning the staff at his opponent. After a few failed attacks he disconnected the staff. He didn't expect Pyrrha to attack him as he did so. He crossed his katanas and raised them, effectively blocking the attack.

The swords remained locked for several seconds, halting the match. Neither one showed any signs of withdrawing. Realizing her weapon was hovering over his right shoulder, Robin thought, _I'll give her a couple more seconds to use her Semblance more than she normally would. If she doesn't, I'll do it myself._ A few more seconds passed, and Robin decided to finish the match. He used his Semblance to concentrate extra energy to shield his right shoulder and neck, and released the tension from his swords and threw them into the ground, causing Pyrrha's weapon to hit his energy shield and catching her off-guard.

Robin used his opening to grab Pyrrha's wrist and twist her sword out of her hand. He then threw it into the ground away from them, and focused his energy into his right gauntlet for extra power. He hit her squarely in the rib cage, causing her to tumble back to the other side of the arena.

"And that's the match!" Goodwitch announced. The students sat in shock. Somehow, some way, Robin had gotten Pyrrha's Aura down to the Red Zone. And his was still _nearly full_.

Robin grabbed and sheathed his katanas, then grabbed Pyrrha's weapon. He walked over to her, holding out his free hand to help her up. "Need a hand?" As she got up, Robin handed her weapon back to her. "Great job out there."

"Th-Thanks..." Pyrrha said. "You too."

They walked back to the rest of the group, who looked at the two of them in shock and disbelief.

"Well done, man. Weiss and I had a timed match." Azure stated, not surprised by his skill.

"Thanks," Robin said. "I am still a bit surprised, though."

"As am I," Pyrrha added. "Somehow I was not expecting that much skill."

"Yeah, well… I kinda had the element of surprise on my side the whole time." Robin scratched his head. Looking at the group, he knew he was about to get hit with a LOT of questions. He sighed and braced for the worst. "Anything I can do to clear your confusion?"

Blake asked first. "Not that this has much to do with the match, but why didn't you put on your hood and mask?"

"I choose to only wear the hood and mask against true enemies like Grimm or the White Fang. You'll never see me spar with them on."

Azure was next. "Have you had those pistols this whole time?"

"Yep, though I usually wouldn't use them. Not very effective, y'know?"

"Do your katanas have any other forms?" Ruby questioned.

"They will have one more form, I'm adding it this weekend." _And you'll be the first to see it, _he thought.

The final question came from Pyrrha. "What stopped my blade at the end of the match?"

"My Semblance. I'm not sure if you've seen it until now, but I can shield myself using my control over energy. So when I let your sword fall, it hit the shield, causing no harm to me."

"That's my boy." Azure said, offering a high five.

Turning to him, Robin asked, "I saw you were surprised the whole time. Any reason other than the pistols? I mean, you _have_ seen my shield techniques before."

"Well, the use of your Semblance. The small places.""

"Yeah, I guess a part of me wanted to prove to Ozpin that I could already control my Semblance. Or maybe I just didn't want to get hit. Either way, I guess it helped a lot."

"That it did. Wish I could've finished my match."

"I do too." Weiss piped up.

"Why, so you could lose?" Azure mocked.

"Clearly, you didn't see what I saw."

"I saw a perfectly timed charge shot that would have ended the match anyway."

"It seems you've forgotten the power of Myrtenaster."

"Even so, I would've come back with a flurry of attacks that not even Myrtenaster could block."

The two continued to argue in hypotheticals as the group walked back to the dorm building.

Azure took Blake to the other room to teach her to sing. Vocal warm ups could be heard. Blake had a magnificent Soprano. Soon enough, she was singing a small duet with Azure. They were singing scales, and were then singing a duet version of "You are The New Day" in perfect pitch. It was muted, but they spent the next hour practicing. Soon, they came out, Blake smiling and humming.

"Sounds like you two had a lot of fun," Robin greeted.

"Well, we have a little performance for you."

"Really?" Ruby asked excitedly. "What are you waiting for? Let's hear it!"

Blake took a few deep breaths, then nodded as Azure sat at a nearby keyboard. He began playing "The Song of The Sun."

After she had finished, she looked around, nervous.

"Wow!" Jaune exclaimed. "That was amazing!"

"Truly a stunning performance, Blake," Pyrrha added.

The others applauded in agreement.

Blake blushed a little. "Th-thank you..."

Azure stood up, hugging her. Looking at the group, he said, "What are we waiting for, guys? Let's get something to eat!"

"I could go for some food right about now." Robin smiled. "But are we just going to the cafeteria, or do you think we should head into Vale? After all, today IS Friday."

"Vale, dang it!" Azure said, sounding like a king, much to Blake's enjoyment.

"That outburst makes me think we should be toting around a sign that says 'To Vale or Bust!'"

"To Vale or Bust." Blake said simply.

"By proclamation of King Azure!" Ruby added, giggling.

"And this day shall be known as the day I have told my subjects, the land of Vale is ours!" Azure exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

The group laughed at this and started walking to the airship docks, where they then descended into Vale.

"So, where are we going to eat?" Robin asked casually.

Blake piped up. "Seafood sounds good..."

Yang snickered. "Of course you would suggest that, Blake."

Azure chimed in. "Alright, Alright. What about pizza?"

The only objection came from the heiress, who said it was too "pedestrian" of them and reminded her team that they had pizza last week.

"C'mon, Weiss," Ruby pleaded.

"There's no such thing as too much pizza!" Yang said.

"OR PANCAKES!" Nora added.

"Besides," Robin pointed out, "you are _seriously_ outvoted right now."

Knowing he was right, Weiss followed the rest of the group to the nearest pizzeria. Vale was unusually busy that day. However, despite the commotion, the two and a half teams managed to find a decent pizzeria, as well as pick up a new book for Blake.

"I wonder what's going on today," Azure pondered.

"If I had to guess," Robin said, "I'd say that everyone is out Christmas shopping. Not everyone procrastinates like you or I do."

"Hey, I am a creative organizer." Azure corrected him.

"And how do you see it that way, exactly?" Robin chuckled. "I mean, waiting until the night before isn't exactly creative."

Azure spoke like a professor. "The element of surprise, my boy!"

Blake laughed. "You're just flat out lazy."

Azure grinned. "That I am."

"I'll admit I was that way too," Robin said, "but I don't think either of us can afford to do that anymore now that we're here. Nor can our eventual teammates, assuming they also came from the same place."

As if on cue, a scream could be heard from above the group. They looked up in time to find a flash of gray, their eyes following the figure as it hit the ground.

Thomas walked into the band room of Mt. Spokane High School. The semester's finals left him exhausted. He was stunned to find the room empty. He expected to see Barrett, maybe Jeff, maybe John, _anybody_. But it was empty. Except for a strange thing by what looked like Barrett's backpack. He walked over to it and looked at it curiously.

Daniel walked in as Thomas picked up the strange device. He walked over to him.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I don't know. Something of Barrett's maybe, but I've never seen it before." Thomas turned on the device. "Of course it has RWBY stuff on it."

Looking closer, both students noticed something was off. There were buttons on the sides of the screen, and what they saw on screen looked nothing like any of the episodes they had seen. Then they noticed two new figures among teams RWBY and JNPR.

"Are they new characters or something?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. It looks like it, but I can't say anything for sure."

"Not even what those buttons do?"

"No, but I guess we can find out," Thomas said, pushing one.

The next thing Thomas knew, he was free-falling towards the group that he had seen on the screen of the strange tablet only seconds before. He managed to let out a scream before hitting the ground in front of the group a few seconds later, blacking out almost immediately from the pain.

After a quick flash of light, Thomas was gone, leaving a stunned Daniel with the device. _Okay, _Daniel thought, _if that button makes you disappear or...go to Remnant...then maybe another button gets you back._ He noticed a button that pictured a book. _Maybe this button gives instructions._ He pushed the button, and once again saw a flash of light.

He opened his eyes, noticing he was free-falling. He was headed straight for what would quickly become his new dorm. _I guess I should try for a decent landing, at least, _he thought to himself. He tried to reorient himself in midair, but the dorm roof was closer than he had anticipated. Luckily, in the small fraction of a second he had to look at the room after crashing through the ceiling, he noticed a bed directly in his path. He landed on the bed, bouncing off harmlessly. Landing on the floor, the pain had finally registered in his brain, and he passed out on the bed he just bounced off of.

"What did I tell you?" Robin said, gesturing to the limp figure in front of the group. "Probably someone else from Mt. Spokane."

Taking another look, he noticed that the figure was obviously based off of the color gray. He wore a gray T-shirt, a white and light gray vest, a scarf with different shades of gray, and gray shoes that looked suitable for parkour or free-running. He had dark denim jeans with straps on his left leg. His hair was really the only other thing not gray, instead being mostly brown with a hint of white. He was clearly an archer, given away by his archery glove and the bow and quiver on his back. _I'm glad he fell front-first, though,_ Robin thought, noticing the blades on the ends of the bow.

"We should get him to the medical wing," Azure suggested.

The group unfortunately had to skip out on their dinner, but this boy's health was more important.

Yang was decided to be the one to carry him back to Beacon, since she was the only one strong enough to do it. As the group ran back to the airship bay, the gray figure regained consciousness, but only for a moment. In that moment, all he could see was a blurred, but still beautiful, blonde figure. He smiled lightly as he passed out once more.

The group finally reached the airship, and bolted back out as soon as it reached Beacon. They sprinted to the medical wing, and right as they got there the figure began to regain consciousness. They stopped at the entrance of the medical wing as the man slowly came to.

"Ugh," he groaned, "where am I?"

"You're at Beacon Academy," Yang answered.

The gray man looked up at the source of the answer. "Wait a minute..." he started as he blinked a couple of times and shook his head. Looking again, he realized, "Yang? Yang Xiao Long?"

Yang simply nodded. The man looked around and could make out Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and two figures he didn't recognize.

"Uh, Yang…?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could put me down now?"

"Oh! Uh...of course," Yang said as she put him down. Both of them blushed lightly.

The two figures the gray man did not recognize simply looked at each other, smiling.

"So, who are you two?"

"We could ask the same of you," the man in red said.

The gray man sighed. "I'm..." he stopped, looking at himself. He was dressed in nearly all gray, just like his character he had made back at Mt. Spokane earlier that week. Thinking for a moment, he continued, "Breeze. Breeze Winston. What about you two?"

"I'm Robin," the red man said.

"And I'm Azure," the blue man said.

"Pleased to meet you two," Breeze said with a smile.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Yang asked.

"I think I'll be fine, so long as I didn't fall on my bow."

"Don't worry," Robin reassured, "you didn't land on your bow."

"I guess we should head to Ozpin's office, huh?" Azure suggested.

"Sounds like a plan, but I've got to stop by the dorm first."

"Alright, I'll go with you. Breeze, you should come with us. Something tells me you'll be rooming with us shortly."

Breeze nodded and followed them to the dorm. Robin opened the door, not expecting what was inside. The trio stood in shock for a moment, processing the scene in front of them. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling, and a female figure was passed out in one of the beds. At that moment, though, she seemed to wake up. She stood up to find the three looking at her in confusion.

Her hair was curly, on the longer side, looked like to about mid-back, and was a deep mocha color with dirty blonde highlights. Her eyes were green with dark brown around the iris, and she wore silver armor, a purple battle skirt (Ruby and Weiss would be proud) and a black rider's cloak.

"So," Azure asked, "who might you be?"

"I'm Nichole Firestone. And you three?"

"I'm Breeze Winston."

"Azure Rouge."

"Robin Maize."

Nichole flinched at the sound of Robin's name.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Yeah...I'm perfectly fine," she said, regaining her composure.

"Come on, let's go to Ozpin's office. I'm sure he'd like to see both you and Breeze." Robin said. Seeing the pain in her eyes, he looked at Azure with an expression that suggested that he be the one to help Nichole.

Azure walked over to Nichole. "Don't worry. You're at Beacon now. You're safe." In an attempt to help her mood, he added, "Besides, Robin's already taken."

Nichole calmed down at that last comment, and the group of four walked to Ozpin's office. Robin knocked on the door, and seconds later was met with Ozpin's "come in."

They walked into the office, and Ozpin turned around. "Ah, who do we have here?"

"Headmaster, we've got two more new students." Azure answered. "This is Nichole Firestone, and next to her is Breeze Winston."

"It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I believe it best to test your skills tomorrow, though it won't be in the same way as Mr. Rouge and Mr. Maize. You will receive a message on your scrolls tomorrow with details for your exam. Until then, Mr. Winston and Ms. Firestone will get their schedules from Professor Goodwitch." He stood up, continuing, "I am convinced that you two will perform well tomorrow, based on recent events. Assuming that's the case, I look forward to the moment tomorrow when I can formally introduce team ABRN (Auburn) to Beacon Academy."


End file.
